Broadway to return to Kansas City’s Starlight as ‘Godspell’ opens four-show season
Rich Baker, president and CEO at the Starlight Theatre, said early this year that he expected the iconic outdoor theater would be open to full capacity or nearly so for Broadway shows by July. It appears his expectation will become reality.
Starlight, which lost its entire 2020 season to the pandemic, has announced that its 2021 AdventHealth Broadway Series will open June 22-27 with “Godspell.” Although most national Broadway tours will not resume until this fall, Starlight will manage to present four shows this season.
“Godspell” will be followed by “The Illusionists” (July 20-25), “On Your Feet!” (Sept. 7-12) and “Escape to Margaritaville” (Sept. 21-26).
Because of COVID-19 precautions, “Godspell” will be a concert-style production with a full cast and orchestra but with limited props. “The Illusionists” features a small cast, easier to stage with pandemic precautions. The final two shows will be traditional Broadway productions with large casts and set pieces.
“In the current environment, everyone’s rightfully concerned about safety,” Baker said. “It doesn’t get much safer than being outside in the fresh air. With a fully vaccinated staff, we can’t wait to welcome audiences back to Starlight and let them enjoy the much-needed respite of theater from the hardships of the past year.”
Season tickets are now on sale for renewing and new ticket holders. Individual tickets will go on sale at a later date. Go to kcstarlight.com or call 816-363-7827.
Starlight’s 2021 schedule also includes seven concerts and one comedy show, starting with the Barenaked Ladies with the Gin Blossoms and Toad the Wet Sprocket on June 30.
Starlight’s season reveal comes just days after the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival announced that its summer production of “The Tempest” at Southmoreland Park had been canceled because of the Actors’ Equity Association’s restrictive COVID-19 safety protocols.
Earlier, though, the Kansas City Ballet announced it was preparing performances May 21 and 22 at Starlight — the ballet’s first live, in-person events since the pandemic hit.
